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Packet broth merchants can’t compete with Vathanathavone Inthalasy’s long-simmered elixirsThere are dozens of Buffalo restaurants selling versions of Asian noodle soups, but only a few offer bowls that make me want to return for a second helping.The difference is in the broth, not the showy stuff floating on top.The banal broth found most places comes […]

Taylor and Supples offer Buffalo immigrant-driven hang-worthy spaceInternational House’s interior celebrates Buffalo’s immigrants.Five immigrant restaurant owners are back in business at 617 Main St., with freshly upgraded kitchens and a new shot at success, as International House and Bar Flamant Rose opens today in the Theater District.Abyssinian Ethiopian Cuisine, Nile River Restaurant, Pattaya Street Food, and Pinoy Boi are back in […]

Art of Beer aids NACC, Super Bazaar yet persists, Moriarty for classy lunch The fertile soil of Robbie Giannada’s mind has brought Flat 12 Mushrooms from a backyard experiment to a company whose gross receipts neared a half million dollars last year. Now Flat 12 is taking its Black Rock fungi factory bigtime, leasing space on Northland […]

Onions, herbs, and spices transform ground meat Middle East styleKofta are bite-sized burgers prized by Middle Eastern cultures.Patting ground beef into burgers is a classic American recipe that has earned the devotion of generations of families. With a little more work, you can offer your customers the Middle East’s version, fortified with onion, herbs, and […]

Kyu Kyu Mar’s upgraded versions of Burmese standards deserves a standing ovationKyu Kyu Mar’s version of own no khao swe is best-in-show Buffalo Burmese dining.Since Kevin Lin fed me my first bowl of ohn no khao swe in 2012, I have spooned up more than 30 versions of the classic Burmese coconut curry chicken noodle soup. Its […]

Vegan pho at Pham’s Kitchen, Yemeni satisfaction in Lackawanna, and a Spresh discovery Standing tall in downtown Lockport, the 125-year-old former post office, built in the Beaux-Arts style, has customers lining up again. Now it’s for a table at Big Ditch Brewing. After two years of work, last month the Buffalo-based brewing concern opened its 250-seat […]

12-seat restaurant greets diners with food, not barrage of dilemmasWarm foccacia, fresh vegetables and fruits, and a coterie of dips and butters greet FLX Table diners.Instead of providing blissful release from the concerns of the workaday world, most fine dining experiences start off feeling more like a stressy board meeting.Struggling with low-blood-sugar brain fog, some […]

Jett’s Bagels, Apa’s Kitchen, and halal sweet potato pies broaden holiday offerings Tradition draws masses to the Broadway Market, but this year 999 Broadway has a basketful of fresh discoveries, too. Shoppers inch through crowds, lining up at the market’s most familiar stalls, gathering holiday supplies: Famous Horseradish, Camellia Meats, Babcia’s Pierogi, butter lambs and pussy willows. New […]

Rotisserie chicken, falafel, kibbe, and more lessons from Palestinian grandmotherMansaf with fameed sauce at Amira’s KitchenWhen I was issued my critic’s badge in 2012, my marching orders were to put a restaurant in its place. Assign it a grade from disappointing to extraordinary.When I served as The Buffalo News’ restaurant critic, the grade was my […]

Jay Braymiller says tickets are clear: 10% goes to charity, rest supports his farm In August, a month after Winfield’s Pub chef-owner Tab Daulton held his fourth dinner to support Stillwater Farm, he texted farm operator Jay Braymiller. “Hey, it’s a tough summer. Can I get my money?”It’s going to be another week, I’m busy […]

People who grew up on government cheese didn’t experience what you might call fully fledged restaurants until adulthood. The first time a server put a relish tray of radish roses, pickle spears, and California olives in the middle of my white tablecloth, I panicked. “I didn’t order that,” I blurted, thinking of the bill. “That’s […]

Frisco melt at The Nickel Plate. When it debuted in 1931, the Niagara Frontier Food Terminal was a model hub for feeding the 13th largest city in the United States. The warehouse complex of cream-colored brick at the confluence of railways, highways, and Clinton and Bailey avenues fed the region. Railcars and tractor-trailers emptied the […]

Toum is every bit as glossy and rich as mayonnaise, without animal involvement. If you love garlic and mayonnaise, but don’t love eggs, toum is the answer. Straight out of the Lebanese canon, toum is garlic, lemon, and oil whipped into a rich, glossy spread that could easily mistaken for mayonnaise. Until the flavor hits […]

House-marinated eggplant and fresh basil pie at Extra Extra Pizza. Extra Extra Pizza was built by three career restaurant workers who decided that if they were going to work that hard, they should share in the profits. After taking classes with Cooperation Buffalo, they started their restaurant in cooperation with micro-developer Frits Abell, making 549 […]

Jon Riggie takes a moment from pouring cups for tea pals to present a disc of dry-fermented tea wrapped in mulberry paper. Jon Riggie’s Elmwood Village tea shop offers Buffalo a new window into the oldest tea culture on the planet. Tea has deep roots in China. From circa 2000 BCE mentions of brewing tea […]